This invention relates generally to washing machines, and, more particularly, to an overflow system for a washing machine.
Washing machines typically include a cabinet that houses an outer tub for containing wash and rinse water, a perforated clothes basket within the tub, and an agitator within the basket. A drive and motor assembly is mounted underneath the stationary outer tub to rotate the clothes basket and the agitator relative to one another, and a pump assembly pumps water from the tub to a drain. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,317,343.
If water overflowing from the tub reaches the drive and motor assembly below the tub, the drive and motor assembly may be damaged, leading to repair or possibly replacement of the machine. Overflow of the tub can occur for many reasons, including, but not limited to, a water fill timer sticking and failing to advance out of a fill position, failure of a pressure switch in a pressure fill machine, a blocked pump or kinked drain hose leading to failure to remove a previous fill before a new one is initiated, a stuck water valve, and operator error in manually interrupting a pump out cycle and initiating a fill cycle.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an overflow system for a washing machine that avoids damage to the drive and motor assembly in an overflow situation.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, an overflow system for a washing machine includes a tub with at least one vent extending through a sidewall of the tub, and at least one collector member attached to the sidewall and forming an enclosure adjacent the vent. When a depth of water inside the tub reaches a pre-selected level, water passes through the vent and into the enclosure formed by the collector member. An open top of the enclosure allows water to spill over the collector member and run down an exterior surface of the tub to a bottom of the tub to prevent overflow of the top of the tub.
During normal operation of the machine, water splashing through the vent from an interior of the tub is contained in the collector member by a top portion of the collector member and the splashed water pools in a bottom portion of the collector member. A return passage extends below the vent adjacent the bottom portion of the collector member and allows water to flow back into the tub for reuse. In a potential overflow situation, water flows through the vent into the collector member enclosure when a depth of water inside the tub equals a selected depth determined by the position of the vent. As the water depth increases and exceeds a selected depth determined by the position of the upper portion of the collector member, water spills over the collector member and runs down a selected portion of the tub exterior away from the drive and motor assembly. Water is therefore prevented from spilling over the top of the tub and damaging the drive and motor assembly.